| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
9 May 2007 : Column 236W—continued
Other Urban: districts with fewer than 37,000 people or less than 26 per cent. of their population in rural settlements and larger market towns,
Large Urban: districts with either 50,000 people or 50 per cent. of their population in one of 17 urban areas with a population between 250,000 and 750,000.
Major Urban: districts with either 100,000 people or 50 per cent. of their population in urban areas with a population of more than 750,000.
| Table 2: Percentage of working-age adults living in low income households in England, by LA classification 2004-05 | ||
| Before housing costs | After hosing costs | |
| Notes: Estimates are based on 3-year averages. 2004-05 uses data for 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05. Low income is defined as households with an income of below 60 per cent. of the median income for GB. Source: DWP Family Resource Survey, 2004-05 | ||
Rural Payments Agency: Pay
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many bonuses were awarded to senior civil servants working at the Rural Payments Agency in each year between 1997 and 2006; and what the total cost was of those bonuses in each year. [132832]
Barry Gardiner: The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) was formed in 2001, and we only hold data from 2003 onwards.
The following table shows how many bonuses were awarded to senior civil servants working in the RPA between 2003 and 2006.
| Number of b onus es | Amount of b onus (£) | |
Tree Planting
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 1 February 2007, Official Report, column 460W on tree planting, when he expects the revised English Forest Strategy to be published. [135970]
Barry Gardiner: I can confirm that the England Forestry Strategy “England’s Trees, Woods and Forests” will be published in the summer.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Abdul Hameed
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make representations for commutation to the Pakistani authorities following the death sentence handed down by the courts there upon Abdul Hameed for the crime of blasphemy. [135756]
Mr. Hoon: We regularly raise our concerns regarding blasphemy laws and the use of the death penalty with the Pakistan authorities and will continue to do so. In December 2006, together with EU partners, we reiterated to the Government of Pakistan our concerns about the effects of blasphemy legislation and its frequent abuse. My right hon. Friend the Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs, Ian McCartney, most recently raised this issue in correspondence with the Government of Pakistan in February.
Although we do not usually raise individual cases, we follow closely the subject of blasphemy trials in Pakistan. Officials receive reports on blasphemy trials from human rights groups and monitor cases reported in the media. We oppose the death penalty in all circumstances as a matter of principle. We, together with our EU partners, call upon all states to abolish the death penalty for all crimes and forever.
China: Animal Welfare
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the Government of China on animal welfare issues in China; and if she will make a statement. [135747]
Mr. McCartney: My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (Barry Gardiner), raised animal welfare issues with the Chinese Government during his visit in July 2006. We continue to encourage the Chinese Government to establish laws that regulate treatment of animals, including domestic pets, and welcome the work that non-governmental organisations such as the International Fund for Animal Welfare and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals undertake with the Chinese authorities to improve standards and to build support in China for animal welfare issues. We also support a proposed EU ban on the import of domestic cat and dog fur.
China: Human Rights
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations she has made to the Government of China on (a) human rights in China and (b) the human rights of followers of Falun Gong in China. [136409]
Mr. McCartney: We raise a comprehensive range of human rights issues, including the treatment of Falun Gong practitioners, with the Chinese Government at the biannual UK-China Human Rights Dialogue, the most recent of which was held in February. We also work bilaterally and through the EU to raise human rights concerns at every appropriate opportunity, including at senior level. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister raised freedom of expression with the head of the Chinese Information Office for the State Council in April. He also raised human rights with Chinese Premier Wen in September 2006. Officials regularly raise concerns at working level in Beijing.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent estimate she has made of the numbers of (a) religious and (b) political prisoners in China; what her estimate is of the number of such prisoners who are followers of Falun Gong; and if she will make a statement. [136410]
Mr. McCartney: We do not estimate the number of religious and political prisoners in China, or the number of those who are followers of Falun Gong but continue to urge China to improve transparency of statistics. At the most recent round of the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in February, we asked the Chinese Government to confirm how many Falun Gong practitioners are currently detained. We are still awaiting a response.
Greece: Whales
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the Minister for Europe had with the Greek Foreign Minister and Europe Minister on 24 April on Greece’s possible membership of the International Whaling Commission; and if she will make a statement. [135522]
Mr. McCartney:
My right hon. Friend the Minister for Europe (Mr. Hoon) has had no discussions with Greek Ministers on the subject of whaling, but
following discussions at official level with our embassy in Athens, Greece has indicated that it intends to join the International Whaling Commission (IWC). We welcome this move. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials remain in close contact with their Greek counterparts, and recently met representatives from the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss the IWC.
Sudan
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make representations to the Government of Sudan on support for militia recruitment in Niger to fight in Darfur. [135755]
Mr. McCartney: We are not currently aware of militia recruitment from Niger to fight in Darfur. We are investigating these claims.
We are continuing to press the Government of Sudan to comply with its obligations under UN Security Council Resolution 1706 to disarm all militia operating in Darfur. If they do not comply, we will move towards further sanctions and an extension of the existing UN arms embargo in the UN Security Council.
Sudan: Libya
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with Libya on the situation in Darfur. [135513]
Mr. McCartney: We have regular contacts with the Libyan Government on Darfur. We have encouraged the Libyans to work with the African Union (AU)/UN.
The UK’s special representative for Sudan, Mr. Christopher Prentice, attended a meeting in Tripoli on 28 April on the political track of the Darfur peace process. The representatives agreed that all regional mediation initiatives should converge under AU/UN leadership; urged all parties to show serious commitment and accelerate preparations for negotiations; warned of the consequences of obstructing progress; and encouraged the AU/UN to intensify their work to agree a road-map for renewed negotiations.
Sudan: Peace Keeping Operations
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she plans to take to further a ceasefire agreement in Darfur prior to the deployment of the African Union-UN peacekeeping force. [135510]
Mr. McCartney: We are continuing to press the Government of Sudan and the rebel movements in Darfur to uphold their commitments to a ceasefire. The Government of Sudan reaffirmed their commitment to a ceasefire at a meeting in Tripoli of 28-29 April organised by the Libyans to discuss the political track of the Darfur peace process.
But we have made clear that all sides to the conflict will be judged by their actions. If they do not abide by their commitments, we will move towards further sanctions and an extension of the existing UN arms embargo in the UN Security Council.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on progress on Sudan's Comprehensive Peace Agreement, with particular reference to the handling of boundary disputes. [135511]
Mr. McCartney: We are concerned at the slow progress being made to implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). The Government of National Unity need to urgently resolve a number of difficult issues including the Abyei and North/South boundary disputes. While the Abyei dispute continues, the people of Abyei are without access to basic services. The parties must establish an interim administration there immediately. The North/South Border Technical Committee needs to accelerate its work, as its conclusions affect other elements of the CPA including elections and wealth sharing.
We continue to urge both sides to implement the CPA in full, including at meetings of the Assessment and Evaluation Commission tasked with monitoring CPA implementation. We also raised CPA implementation at the Sudan Consortium in Khartoum (19-21 March) and in the UN Security Council during discussions of the renewal of the UN mission in Sudan’s mandate last month.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans there are to renew the UN Mission in Sudan mandate. [135512]
Mr. McCartney: UN Security Council Resolution 1755 renewed the UN mission in Sudan’s mandate for another six months on 30 April.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans are in place to disarm janjaweed militias in Darfur. [135515]
Mr. McCartney: The Government of Sudan announced its plan to disarm the janjaweed in 2006. However, there has been little action since then. We are continuing to press the Government of Sudan to comply with its commitment obligation under UN Security Council Resolution 1706 to disarm the janjaweed. If they do not comply, we will move towards further sanctions and an extension of the existing UN arms embargo in the UN Security Council.
Uganda: Commonwealth
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contingencies have been put in place for an alternative venue for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting planned in Kampala. [135894]
Mr. McCartney: The Commonwealth Secretariat confirmed on 26 April that Kampala would be the venue for the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). Any decision about changing the CHOGM venue would be for the Commonwealth Secretariat to take, in consultation with member states.
We want CHOGM to take place in Uganda and for it to be a success.
We have important concerns about the state of governance in Uganda, particularly with respect to the independence of the judiciary, political space for the opposition and recent incidences of violence. We are working with the Government of Uganda to resolve these concerns. We continue to stress that CHOGM presents a historic opportunity for Uganda to demonstrate that it is building an inclusive and pluralist society and we will continue to press for progress on the issues of concern.
Uganda: Politics and Government
Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the Ugandan authorities on the re-arrest of the nine People’s Redemption Army suspects granted bail by the High Court; and if she will make a statement. [135622]
Mr. McCartney: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave him on 30 April 2007, Official Report, column 1394W.
Uganda: Violence
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made on the recent attacks on Asian businesses in Kampala, Uganda; and if she will make a statement. [135895]
Mr. McCartney: We are particularly disturbed by the racially motivated aspects of the violence by some demonstrators during street protests in Kampala on 12 April. We welcome President Museveni’s statement of 13 April condemning the violence, in which he said that
“to attack, insult or damage the property of any Ugandan or guests of Uganda is something the National Resistance Movement government will not tolerate”.
We also condemn all such violence and call on all sides to show restraint and respect the rule of law during demonstrations. We are talking to the Ugandan Government about developing a ‘Code of Conduct’ for running and policing demonstrations.
We have expressed our concerns to the Ugandan Government about the importance of responsible and proportionate policing during demonstrations. Our high commissioner in Kampala raised this most recently with Foreign Minister Kutesa on 25 April.
The violence followed demonstrations protesting about the Ugandan Government’s plans to give away parts of Mabira forest to the Ugandan Sugar Corporation. Two Ugandans and one Indian national were killed and Asian businesses were attacked.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |